The iPod Generation
Today it is common to see people who walk about with colored wires hanging from their ears wherever they go. They move about in their personal bubbles, sometimes unaware of what’s happening around them. They walk around in their own spaces, with their personal “digital（数码的） noise reduction systems” So are you one of them?
For me, walking around in my own personal bubble is perfect. What’s even better, wearing earphones seems to give a signal to people which says, “I’m not available for chatting at the moment.”
Suppose you’re at work and about to make a breakthrough, but a colleague suddenly turns up. At this exact moment, the slightest disturbance would interrupt your work. Once again, those wires hanging from your ears would be sure to give that “Go away!” signal.
It’s probably part of the growing up stage when they just want to ignore their whole family. While their mothers give them lectures about why they should do, their “Yes. Mum.” Problem solved.
Pretty soon, not only will we have pretty colored wires hanging from our ears, but also our brains will be directly plugged into some new high-tech instrument. We’ll be in a virtual(虚拟的) world, communicating with everyone else, or choosing not to, as we like. And they are changing our social habits along the way.
| A．Outside life is shut out. |
| B．Our high-tech tools are changing quickly. |
| C．I also have wires hanging from my ears. |
| D．In the home situation, teenagers love these wires. |
E. I don't have to deal with the noise from the environment.
F. After all, I am listening to my favourite music and would rather not be disturbed.
G. Listening to music through earphones is the perfect way to ignore such interruptions.
Here are 7 signs that can be taken as warning and could help avert(避免) a catastrophic situation:
1.The most common warning sign of a heart attack is the feeling of discomfort or heaviness in the chest. This feeling could also be more of a burning sensation. Any of these symptoms should not be taken lightly, and if it occurs more than once, you need to rush to your doctor. If another person is complaining of the problem, chances are they have experienced the feeling before and are only expressing it now. So, rush them to the nearest doctor or hospital immediately for a check-up.
2. Shortness of Breath
If your breathing gets heavy and the breath falls short even after a short walk, climb or other form of movement or exercise, Even if this condition is not accompanied with chest discomfort, it should be taken as a warning sign.
3. Sweating
Whilst sweating is inevitable in the scorching(灼热的) heat of May and June, excessive sweating even in cool conditions is uncalled for.
4. Nausea(恶心)
Regularly feeling nauseous of dizzy could imply the onset(发作) of a heart attack. Do not treat is callously(麻木不仁地) as a sign of tiredness. This could happen due to the artery(动脉) getting blocked. It could also display itself via excessive stress, fatigue after short spans of movement or exercise, or a feeling of weakness despite eating and sleeping well.
5. Numbness(麻木) in Arms
If your arms feel numb and seem to be drifting to the sides, heart problem may be the cause.
6. Unresponsiveness
If certain parts of your body begin to stop responding, The affected parts may be the shoulders, arms or back of the neck.
7. Slurring(含糊不清) while Speaking
Difficulty while speaking need not necessarily occur after a bout of drinking with the buddies. It could be a graver situation than that! Inability to speak coherently could be the sign of a great attack. If you think you are suffering this ask a friend or relative to help by asking them to understand what you are saying.
A heart attack can be avoided if the warning signs are read correctly and in time. They could be the result of a choked artery(动脉). Even If heart attack is not the result, a check-up should definitely not be avoided! Take care!
| A．it should be a wave of happiness |
| B．do not ignore the circumstance. |
| C．Discomfort in the Chest |
| D．it should be a huge cause of worry. |
E. do not ignore the result.
F. Seek medical aid immediately if one or more of the above symptoms are noticed.
G. If you notice such sweating, consult a medical professional immediately.
Mary: I never used to like stamp collecting. I read almost everything I can: books, magazines, newspapers. I go to the public library abut twice a week. If you’d like to send me something, maybe books are my favorite.
Tom: My wife says I should take up gardening. We have a big garden and she loves working in it. But the truth is, it bores me. My friends and my wife think I’m really boring, because I’m always listening to music. I go to concerts all the time. I love Mozart and all that classical staff.
Mike: I don’t really like video games and that sort of things. I prefer being outdoors, hiking or playing sports. I always go out with my family playing baseball and stuff all the time. I think most sports are pretty interesting.
Lisa: I’m a free writer, and a lot of people think my job is easier because I don’t have to go to the office every day. And I don’t have to deal with office politics. But, you know, my job is very hard. I have to be very organized and much disciplined. And pretty self-motivated .And when I have a problem, there is no one around to help me.
Victor: My life is very stressful. In my working place, everyone is in a hurry and under tremendous pressure. The doctors are demanding, and there is always too much to do to save a dying patient.
| A．The person doesn’t like gardening, such as growing flowers or planting trees. What he/she really likes is listening to music, especially classical music. |
| B．The person likes sports activities the most. For him/her, having sports activities is very interesting. |
| C．Many people may like collecting things, such as collecting cards or stamps, but he/she likes to go to the library or book shops to read. To him or her, reading is really fun. |
| D．The person works in a hospital emergency room. His/her job is to assist doctors to rescue patients who are seriously ill . |
E. The person likes collecting all kinds of things, such as baseball cards and stamps. Every year, he will spend a large amount of money in buying such things.
F. The person works for himself/herself at home and doesn’t need to go to work .What he or she does is to write something for others .But he / she thinks this kind of life is also very tough ,because when he or she has some trouble ,he or she has no one to turn to for help.
— Sit down, please, take it easy. What's your name, please?
— Alice.
— ___.
— My house was broken into last night.
— Can you describe what happened last night?
— Yes. At 6, my husband and I left home to attend a friend's birthday party. ___ . When I opened the door, we found that someone had entered our house by the window.
— ___ .
— Yes. My diamond necklace is gone, ___ .
— Can you tell me anything more?
— The man living opposite our house said he had heard a sound of glass being broken at about 11. After a while, he saw a tall man with long hair come out of my house.
— Well, ___. If we have any news, we'll let you know.
| A．Have you got anything stolen? |
| B．we'll look into the case right away. |
| C．What's the matter, Madam? |
| D．Do worry too much about such a case. |
E. so are my computer and two valuable vases.
F. We didn't get home until midnight.
G. We are sure to find out the thief.
根据短文内容，从下框的A~F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项，选项中有一项为多余项。注意：将所选字母写在答题卡相应题号上
A. Sitting at the back means fewer food options.
B. Flight attendants get paid only for flight hours.
C. Flight attendants’ job is to keep passengers safe.
D. Flight attendants might water down your drinks.
E. Flight attendants are trained to identify criminals.
F. The seat-belt sign is “on” far longer than necessary.
Things An Air Hostess Won't Tell You
To make things a bit easier for them and ensure a smooth flight, many Flight attendants have little tricks under their sleeves. Here are some of them which they won't tell you out of sheer politeness.__________
Contrary to what most people think, a flight attendant's primary job is to ensure your safety - the helping and serving part of their job are just add-ons. If they are assisting you with your luggage, it is to make sure it is stored properly and does not harm anyone. They are not required to lift your bags or help you take them elsewhere. All the other assistance, such as providing you with a drink, handing you hot towels, etc., are to make sure you stay calm and satisfied. __________
As unfair as it may seem, the time that a flight attendant spends in getting the plane ready, settling you down, etc., is not included in their salary. They do, however, receive some expense allowance(津贴) for the entire time they clock in - it is a pretty small income though__________
If a flight attendant feels a passenger is ordering too many drinks, and getting drunk, they might avoid serving him/her by avoiding eye contact. When that fails, they might just fill the glass half-way or give him/her a diluted (稀释的) drink__________
A number of training programs and workshops exist to train flight attendants in different aspects. As some people are using flights more and more to smuggle (走私), flight attendants are being regarded as the first line of defense against this heinous （邪恶的）crime. The benefits are already evident - a number of dangers are avoided, thanks to alert(警惕的) flight attendants on board.__________
This is a bit unfortunate for those sitting at the back of the plane, but nevertheless true. As the attendants start serving from the front of the plane to the back, the variety of drinks or meals might go down. This is because a plane has limited space, only a certain number of items can be stored, and by the time they get to the back of the plane, they run out of at least a few of the options.
There is distinction between reading for information and reading for understanding.
The first sense is the one in which we read newspapers, magazines, or anything else. Such materials may increase our store of information, but they cannot improve our understanding. And clearly we don’t have any difficulty in gaining the new information, for our understanding was equal to them before we started. Otherwise, we would have felt the shock of puzzlement.
The second sense is the one in which we read something that at first we do not completely understand. Here the thing to be read is at the first sight better or higher than the reader. The writer is communicating something that can increase the reader’s understanding. Otherwise one person could never learn from another. Here “learning” means understanding more, not remembering more information.
What are the conditions in this kind of reading? First, there is inequality in understanding. Besides, his book must convey something he possesses and his potential readers lack. Second, the reader must be able to overcome this inequality in some degree. And he should always try to reach the same level of understanding with the writer. If the equality is approached, success of communication is achieved.
It is the least demanding and requires the least amount of effort. Everyone who knows how to read can read for entertainment if he wants to. In fact, any book that can be read for understanding or information can probably be read for entertainment as well.
| A．Thus, we can employ the word “reading” in two distinct senses. |
| B．Such communication between unequals must be possible. |
| C．We can get access to the content of those materials easily. |
| D．The writer must be “superior” to the reader in understanding. |
E. The writer should have a better communicating skill.
F. Besides gaining information and understanding, there’s another goal of reading—entertainment.
G. Reading for entertainment is capable of increasing our understanding for information.